Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs explained

In the United States military, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs (ASD (M&RA)), formerly Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs (ASD (RA))^[1] serves as Principal Staff Assistant and advisor to the Secretary of Defense, Deputy Secretary of Defense and Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, with responsibility for "overall policies and procedures of [U.S.] Total Force manpower, personnel and reserve affairs,"^[2] including the Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve and Coast Guard Reserve. The ASD (M&RA) reports directly to the Under Secretary of Defense (P&R) and exercises authority, direction, and control over the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.^[3] On September 16, 2022, President Biden announced his intent to nominate Ronald Keohane to the position.^[4]

Responsibilities

According to a Statement of Intent signed by the ASD(M&RA), the purpose of the office is "to set the conditions for a sustainable, seamlessly integrated and complementary total force." To do so, the ASD(M&RA) seeks to "proactively deliver credible advice and information about the capabilities of the reserve components," and "develop the policies and resources necessary to fully exploit those capabilities."^[5] The language of these statements is precise and deliberate. As the Statement of Intent explains:

• The ASD(M&RA) "sets the conditions" because the individual armed services must integrate the forces themselves.
• “Seamlessly integrated” and “complementary” are characteristics of a reserve force that can augment and reinforce the active components in every facet of the National Security Strategy. These characteristics imply an absence of friction and a mutually supporting force structure.
• A “total force” is the combination of active and reserve components that service chiefs provide willingly, and that unified combatant commanders can utilize effectively.
• “Delivering credible advice and information” requires fidelity to fact and a humility that avoids boastfulness and over-promising.
• “Resources” include modern and well-positioned equipment and facilities, and the assets necessary for a force that is trained for both irregular and conventional warfare prior to mobilization and deployment.
• To "exploit" reserve capabilities means “to take full advantage” of them. In business, it would mean a high return on investment.

The Statement of Intent also sets out a metric for this office's performance: "Our success will be measured by the degree to which we have advanced a culture of mutual appreciation and confidence in both the active and reserve components."^[5]

History

This position was mandated by the Department of Defense Authorization Act of 1984 (P.L. 98-94, passed 24 September 1983), and established by Defense Directive 5125.1, signed 12 January 1984. The reserve affairs functions were transferred in from the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manpower, Reserve Affairs, and Logistics).^[6]

Section 902 of the Carl Levin and Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (P.L. 113-291, 19 December 2014) redesignated the position as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. ^[7]

Office holders

Assistant Secretaries of Defense for Manpower & Reserve Affairs (and preceding offices)

Name	Tenure	SecDef(s) Served Under	President(s) Served Under
	May 3, 1984 - April 10, 1987		Ronald Reagan
Stephen M. Duncan	October 26, 1987 - January 20, 1993	Caspar W. Weinberger Frank C. Carlucci III William H. Taft IV (Acting) Richard B. Cheney	Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush
	June 1, 1993 - April 11, 1998	Leslie Aspin, Jr. William J. Perry William S. Cohen	Bill Clinton
Charles L. Cragin	April 12, 1998 - August 3, 1999 (Acting) August 4, 1999 - May 31, 2001 (PDASD, in charge)	William S. Cohen Donald H. Rumsfeld	Bill Clinton George W. Bush
	October 9, 2002 - April 2009	Donald H. Rumsfeld Robert M. Gates	George W. Bush Barack Obama
Dennis M. McCarthy^[8]	June 25, 2009 - April 19, 2011		Barack Obama
David McGinnis (Acting)	April 19, 2011 - May 24, 2012		Barack Obama
	May 24, 2012 - December 31, 2013		Barack Obama
Richard O. Wightman, Jr. (Acting)	January 1, 2014 - August 2015		Barack Obama
	May 15, 2016 - January 20, 2017		Barack Obama
Stephanie Barna (Acting)	January 20, 2017 - July 30, 2018		Donald Trump
Virginia S. Penrod (Acting)	July 31, 2018 - October 22, 2018		Donald Trump
	October 22, 2018 - December 13, 2019		Donald Trump
Virginia S. Penrod (Acting/Performing the Duties of)	December 13, 2019 - May 2, 2022^[9]	Mark Esper Lloyd Austin	Donald Trump Joe Biden
Thomas A. Constable (Performing the Duties of)^[10]	May 2, 2022 - April 1, 2023	Lloyd Austin	Joe Biden
Grier Martin (Performing the Duties of)^[11]	April 1, 2023 - March 13, 2024	Lloyd Austin	Joe Biden
Ronald Keohane^[12]	March 13, 2024 - present	Lloyd Austin	Joe Biden

Notes and References

1. Web site: 10 U.S. Code § 138 - Assistant Secretaries of Defense.
2. Web site: Inside M&RA.
3. Web site: Department of Defense Key Officials . Historical Office, OSD . 2004 . 1 February 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110721034250/http://osdhistory.defense.gov/docs/DOD%20Key%20Officials%201947-2004.pdf . 21 July 2011 .
4. Web site: President Biden Announces Key Nominees. 16 September 2022.
5. Web site: Manpower & Reserve Affairs.
6. Web site: Defense Manpower Data Center . C-SPAN.
7. Web site: Carl Levin and Howard P. "Buck" McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015. 19 December 2014.
8. Web site: Manpower & Reserve Affairs.
9. https://www.linkedin.com/in/virginia-penrod-87945524b
10. https://www.defense.gov/About/Biographies/Biography/Article/2030571/thomas-a-constable/
11. https://prhome.defense.gov/Home/Leaders/Martin/
12. https://history.defense.gov/Portals/70/Documents/key_officials/KeyOfficials-2024-03-18.pdf?ver=OAdUrz6zMkTKcC9HKlI9nQ%3d%3d